travel writing, history writing

Books

“… Hannigan’s … clear enthusiasm for his subject matter is infectious. His relish for the project of history itself … is equally as captivating…” – Hello Bali!

A Geek in Indonesia
Tuttle Publishing, 2018

For anyone wanting to get beyond tired travel guide clichés, this is a hip, irreverent and streetwise introduction to Southeast Asia’s biggest country—from local fashion bloggers and feminist activists to furious punk pioneers and scandal-courting celebrities.

Discover the dubious delights of dangdut—Indonesia’s homegrown working-class music phenomenon—and the dizzying diversity of the rock, pop and jazz scenes. Learn what makes Jakarta the social media capital of the universe; take a look into the Indonesian blogosphere; and get essential insights into the traditional values that still underpin tech-savvy modern Indonesian society.

“… a window into another culture and a travel guide all rolled together.” – Dr. Jessie Voigts, Wandering Educators

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A Brief History of BaliTuttle Publishing, 2016

Previously published as Bali Chronicles, this fully updated edition of Willard Hanna’s classic narrative history of Bali comes with a new introduction and extended three-part epilogue by Tim Hannigan, carrying the story into the twenty-first century.

With a strong emphasis on colourful characters and dramatic incidents, the book tells the fascinating story of Indonesia’s “island paradise”, its rulers and its people, and their encounters with the outside world. It sketches the culture and politics of the island against the backdrop of an economic dilemma that has confronted the Balinese for centuries – how to preserve their unique identity in the face of foreign incursions.

“Hannigan has the novelist’s instinct for surprise and entertaining anecdotes pop up at every turn…” – The Bali Advertiser

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A Brief History of IndonesiaTuttle Publishing, 2015

Indonesia is by far the largest country in Southeast Asia and fourth most populous in the world after the United States. It is also the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation, a land of incredible diversity and unending paradoxes with a rich history stretching back a thousand years and more.

This fascinating book takes the reader through the Hindu-Buddhist years in Java, the arrival of Islam in the archipelago, the Second World War, the postwar New Order years, to the separation of East Timor from Indonesia at the start of the twenty-first century.

Tim Hannigan tells the story of Indonesia as a narrative of kings, traders, missionaries, soldiers and revolutionaries—featuring stormy sea crossings, fiery volcanoes, and the occasional tiger. For readers who want an entertaining introduction to Asia’s most colorful country, this is the perfect read.

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Raffles and the British Invasion of Java
Monsoon Books, 2012
WINNER OF THE JOHN BROOKS AWARD

On a hot August afternoon in 1811 an army of 12,000 British redcoats splashed ashore through the tropical shallows off Batavia to conquer the Dutch colony of Java. They would remain there for five turbulent years.

Told in full for the first time, this is the gripping story of how the British attempted to bring the full force of European colonialism to a tropical island where Muslim sultans claimed descent from Hindu gods. It is also the story of the man who presided over that attempt – Thomas Stamford Raffles, destined for future fame as the founder of Singapore.

Drawing on both British and Javanese archive sources, this book explores the bloody battles and furious controversies that marked British rule in Java, and reveals Raffles – long celebrated as a liberal hero – in a shocking new light, showing how he crushed dissent, looted palaces, and incited massacres to further his own insatiable ambitions.

“… lively, original and daring … It’s seldom that history makes such wonderful reading …”– The Bali Advertiser

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Murder in the Hindu Kush: George Hayward and the Great Game
The History Press, 2011/Westland (India), 2012
SHORTLISTED FOR THE BOARDMAN-TASKER PRIZE

On a bright July morning in 1870 the British explorer George Hayward was brutally murdered high in the Hindu Kush. Who was he, what had brought him to this wild spot, and why was he killed?

Told in full for the first time, this is the gripping tale of Hayward’s journey from a Yorkshire childhood to a place at the forefront of the ‘Great Game’ between the British Raj and the Russian Empire, and of how, driven by ‘an insane desire,’ he crossed the Western Himalayas, tangled with despotic chieftains and ended up on the wrong side of both the Raj and the mighty Maharaja of Kashmir.

It is also the tale of the conspiracies and controversies that surrounded his death, while the author’s own travels in Hayward’s footsteps bring the story up to date, and reveal how the echoes of the Great Game still reverberate across Central Asia in the twenty-first century.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF INDONESIA
“… a highly readable and entertaining narrative that highlights the many personalities who have shaped the nation – and our perception of it…” – Lonely Planet

“… the perfect companion for travellers and tourists who wish to delve deeper than their travel guide’s history section and get closer to the beating heart of this troubled yet remarkable nation…” – Asian Review of Books

“… presents Indonesia as a place of high drama… ” – Foreword Reviews

“Light and entertaining, A Brief History of Indonesia is a highly readable, informative, solid and irreverent introduction to this sprawling island nation…” –Tempo

“… manages to capture this heavy and rich history in a very easy to understand and entertaining narrative…” – The Jakarta Post

“… a must-read … almost as if you are reading a story book rather than complicated research by a historian…” – Bali and Beyond

“It’s not often one has a history book keeping us up late at night, but this one is peppered with so many fascinating anecdotes—and will perhaps smash so many of your assumptions about Indonesia—that it left us bleary eyed for several mornings running…” – TravelFish